God is . . . not selfish

1 Corinthians 13: 4 – 5

Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own.

We have thought about arrogance, egotism, and self-centeredness in this examination of what love is. As we continue looking at chapter 13 we reach this phrase, “love does not seek its own.” What does that mean but that love is not selfish?

God’s love is not self-oriented. He loves us not for Himself, but for us. In other words, He doesn’t love us for what it gets Him or what we will do for Him. Love does not focus the camera lens on itself but instead on others. This is the essential model of love and this is essential God.

Love does not serve itself, it serves others. Love doesn’t worry itself about serving itself. It isn’t seeking its own interests. Can you see this? Real love is not concerned with filling its needs. This is what we need to understand about God. His every thought is about our welfare, not what we can do for Him.

There has been such a misunderstanding in the body of Christ about our relationship with God. I used to think our relationship was all about the tasks He wanted me to do and the roles He wanted me to fill. Now I understand that He cares very little for those things. These tasks and jobs which we think are so big and so important are as a gnat to Him. The one thing which is important to Him is us and our welfare. Think this through with me. His greatest thoughts and ambitions are about us. How does that impact all of your theology? He wants to help us become healthy, whole and happy. Everything He does is towards that end. His vision is for us to walk in complete and total victory, the victory that Christ has already won for us. God didn’t have to give you cancer to make you strong. Your victory is in Christ. Jesus won the battle. God is our strength. Besides, there is no cancer in heaven for God to send to you. He has only good things.  So, understanding that God is love defines your entire perspective about Him and therefore your theology.

God did not call you to Himself so that you could serve Him. He called you to Himself so that He could serve you and care for you. Remember Jesus washing the feet of the Apostles? He is the greatest servant ever and though we model Jesus, God did not call us as servants but as children. True love, the God kind of love doesn’t serve itself. It does not seek its own wishes. God seeks to fulfill the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37: 4). Love is not selfish; God is not selfish.